Homosexual and Bisexual Syphilis Cases Grow Amid Calls for Education

Reuters Health News ^ | 12/26/2002 | Reuters Staff

[ex-Texan]

Homosexual and Bisexual Syphilis Cases Grow Amid Calls for Education

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A dramatic rise in syphilis cases has been reported among gay and bisexual men in Los Angeles, leading the largest U.S. AIDS health care organization to accuse health officials on Thursday of ignoring the outbreak.

County health officials said a recent study showed that the number of syphilis cases jumped from about three dozen cases in 2000 to 507 in the first 11 months of 2002. The study said that 62 percent of the new cases were among gay and bisexual men, and that six in 10 of those cases were in men already infected with HIV.

The Federal Centers for Disease Control said Los Angeles County had the fourth-largest number of new cases in the United States this year. The CDC added that the new outbreaks in U.S. cities among homosexual and bisexual men is setting back efforts to eradicate the disease.

Syphilis is easily curable with antibiotics but, left untreated, can cause permanent brain and heart damage.

Doctors with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the nation's largest AIDS organization, said the number of undiagnosed syphilis cases in Los Angeles probably outnumbers reported cases by 3-1.

Foundation president Michael Weinstein said county officials had to do more to alert the public. "They should be ringing an alarm bell, they should not be playing it down," he said.

Dr. Paul DenOuden, a foundation doctor, said, "There could be two reasons for so many cases being reported primarily among the HIV-infected. Either they are being exposed more often to syphilis, or routine syphilis screening at AIDS clinics simply catches a bigger percentage within this population."

[ex-Texan]

Looks like Reuters got this headline correct .... after I corrected it.

What's the matter, don't they know that certain types of sexual conduct can be hazardous to one's health? Sex with sheep must be safer.

[jos65]

Surprise,surprise!!!

[Skwidd]

All the sex ed training you will ever need--

"Don't f*ck people you don't know!!!"

[RAT Patrol]

I guess STD's are bigoted organisms. For shame.

[Destructor]

I think the law of Natural Selection is coming into play here.

[SoDak]

People engage in risky behavior, even though they know better, and it results in STD's and the government is at fault for not warning people LOUDER? Only liberals can reason away personal responsibility this way.

[alpowolf]

Indeed, it is very hard to imagine anyone not knowing how these diseases are spread. What more "education" could they possibly be given?

Please, don't anybody answer that in detail. I just ate.

[ex-Texan]

"Syphilis is easily curable with antibiotics but, left untreated, can cause permanent brain and heart damage ...

Not any longer. Reuters is Wrong! ... There are incurable types of Syphilis out there ....

[Pining_4_TX]

As comedian Richard Belzer once said, "Who would have thought that ****ing someone up the *** 50 times a week would be bad for you?"

[iron tongue]

I guess the wages of sin really is death.

[river rat]

I guess if we're patient enough --- the perverts will simply kill themselves through their own behavior..

AIDS and STDs can be effective - over time..

Sure - these folks are "normal"....
They simply reflect an "alternate" lifestyle.....DEATH.
Semper Fi

[capt. norm]

Could this be a sort of Darwinian thing going on here?

[sheik yerbouty]

Incurable romantics.

[dirtboy]

I don't think these idiots need any more education. What they need is more restraint.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Syphilis . . . left untreated can cause permanent brain . . . damage.

"Mr. Penn? Sean Penn? This is Doctor Greenblatt's office. This is the seventh message we have left for you. Please. It is imperative that you contact us and initiate treatment!"

[Tacis]

Oh, PLEASE, PLEASE tell us what we can do to help these poor sensitive folks!! Can with throw more public money at them and their problems? More money to help the rest of the population more sensitive? I know, let's force access to the Boy Scouts. If some of these fine young men didn't have to consort with diseased folks and were able to access the clean fresh meat of the local scout units, these terrible results wouldn't be taking place.

What can we do, oh, what can we do? You can bet your last condom that when the deficit dust settles in California, of all the public services cut back, the unions will not suffer, nor will the fairies, no matter how diseased or responsible for the disease.

[Mr. Thorne]

And the funny thing is, not too long ago, in the days of sulfa drugs, we actually had syphillis pretty much under control.

Of course, part of the 'control' involved contact tracing. You got syphillis? OK, who'd you have sex with?

Of course, that would be bad, now. Far better to spread venereal disease and die a disgusting death than be 'outed' against one's will...

[Conservateacher]

Doesn't bisexuality screw with the idea that gays "are born that way"?

[crystalk]

There is no excuse for committing ANY sin. The fact that one is tempted is CERTAINLY no excuse, and one never knows what one might be tempted to do, apart from the grace of God. Persons who think they cannot fall because they are or are NOT of some particular subculture, sometimes surprise themselves if they have had a drink or two and are in the wrong turf as it were...

IOW there really are no "gays" or "straights," just humans, and except for the grace of God they would all fall into the most disgusting depravity. Claims that certain persons had some kind of disease or predisposition [i.e. were tempted],--and that would excuse the sinful act, were just apologies for living in sin-- and the time for such is OVER.

[capt. norm]

I think "born that way" is just a convenient way of trying to make themselves victims free of blame.

In this age of P.C., if you're not a victim you're nobody.